E-Z opener pants

ABSTRACT

A type of pants is disclosed which allows the wearer of heavy equipment or objects easy, quick, and safe access for restroom purposes. The pants comprise: a) a waistband; (b) two leg members extending from the waistband; (c)a fastener member positioned along the inseam of the leg members; and (d) a protective shield positioned beneath the fastener member. The fastener member is selected from the group consisting of zippers, snaps, buttons, hooks, and hook and loop type fasteners. In a preferred embodiment, the fastener member is a zipper. The zipper is of the regular, visible or invisible type when positioned inside the pants. In another embodiment of the present invention, the pants comprise:(a) a waistband; (b) two leg members extending from the waistband; (c) a fastener member positioned along the inseam of the leg members; (d) a protective shield positioned beneath the fastener member; and (e) an outer flap positioned on top of the fastener member. The outer flap functions to conceal the fastener member from view. This outer flap is unnecessary when an invisible type zipper is used as the fastener member  
     The construction of the fastener member leaves additional pant fabric extending downward beyond the fastener member on each leg member. The additional fabric creates an unfinished hem, which allows the wearer to make the necessary hem adjustments to the length of each pant leg member to suit the wearer&#39;s needs. The construction of the fastener member also creates an opening approximately several inches long formed by the space between the bottom edge of each leg member and the point at which the fastener member ends on each leg member. The wearer has the option of keeping the opening as is or, in the alternative, the opening may be closed with a Velcro® type closure ( i.e., hook and loop fastener) or any other closure means.  
     The pants are particularly well suited for persons in law enforcement, the military, security, construction and the like as well as medical patients and senior citizens who desire easier access, convenience and safety when attending to their restroom needs.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

[0001] This application claims the benefit of U.S. ProvisionalApplication Serial No. 60/239,221 filed Oct. 10, 2000, which isincorporated by reference in its entirety.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

[0002] The present invention relates generally to pants that aredesigned to provide easy and quick access to the wearer for restroomusage. More particularly, the present invention relates to pants thatare designed to provide a convenient and safe way for wearers of heavyequipment or objects, particularly weapons, to use the restroom,especially persons in law enforcement, the military, security,construction and the like.

[0003] In professions such as law enforcement, police officers arerequired to wear uniforms and carry standard equipment. The equipment istypically secured to the waist by means of a belt and belt loops. Suchequipment typically includes a radio, weapon, ammunition clip,handcuffs, baton, and pepper spray. It is not uncommon for suchequipment to weigh between ˜7-10 lbs. Other professions such as themilitary, firefighters, security personnel, electricians, andconstruction workers wear uniforms and have heavy equipment or objectsalso attached at their waists.

[0004] The uniform pants that are currently worn by female policeofficers are made with a short zipper in the front of the pants. Thedesign of these pants are not well suited for restroom purposes.Removing the heavy equipment when using the restroom is quite cumbersomefor female police officers. Because of the bulkiness and heavy weight ofthe equipment, female officers often do the following: 1) completelydetach their belt with the equipment attached and lay it somewhereinside the restroom stall; or 2) keep the belt and equipment attached tothe pants, resulting in the pants and equipment resting at the feet onthe floor of the restroom stall. In the latter situation, the weight ofthe gear can cause the equipment to slide out of the belt loops.

[0005] Both options are undesirable for the officers for severalreasons. First and foremost, removing the equipment in either mannerpresents critical safety issues. Either option places the equipment, inparticular the weapon, within reach of someone in the next stall oroutside the stall. Second, when the equipment remains attached to thepants, it becomes very difficult for the officer to fasten her pants.Typically, the officer leans against a wall in the restroom stall tohold up and steady the equipment in order to fasten the pants. Witheither option, using the restroom is terribly difficult, time consuming,and inconvenient.

[0006] Because of the inconvenience of going to the restroom anddifficulty in removing the equipment, female officers have developedhealth problems. Officers have tended to delay using the restroom untilcompletion of their work shift. As a result, female officers are at agreater risk of developing urinary tract infections and even moreserious medical complications related thereto. Further, these medicalproblems, if persisting, often lead to increased work absences.

[0007] There, thus, remains a need for a type of pants that providessafe and easy access for the wearer of heavy equipment or objects to usethe restroom.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

[0008] The present invention is directed to a type of pants which allowsthe wearer of heavy equipment or objects easy, quick, and safe accessfor restroom purposes. For persons in law enforcement, the military,security, construction, and the like, removal of heavy gear attached tothe pants is not only inconvenient but poses safety issues, especiallyfor females. When removed, the gear is often laid somewhere inside therestroom stall. In the alternative, the gear remains attached to thebelt resulting in the pants and gear on the restroom floor. In eithercase, the gear can be easily taken by others.

[0009] The present invention overcomes the disadvantages of existinguniform type pants by providing a pair of pants comprising: (a) awaistband; (b) two leg members extending from the waistband; (c) afastener member positioned along the inseam of the leg members; and (d)a protective shield positioned beneath the fastener member. The fastenermember is selected from the group consisting of zippers, snaps, buttons,hooks, and hook and loop type fasteners. In a preferred embodiment, thefastener member is a zipper. The zipper is of the visible or invisibletype when positioned inside the pants.

[0010] The construction of the fastener member leaves additional pantfabric extending downward beyond the fastener member on each leg member.The additional fabric creates an unfinished hem, which allows the wearerto make the necessary hem adjustments to the length of each pant legmember to suit the wearer's needs. The construction of the fastenermember also creates an opening approximately several inches long formedby the space between the bottom edge of each leg member and the point atwhich the fastener member ends on each leg member. The opening appearstriangular in shape when the fastener member is in the closed positionon each leg member. The wearer has the option of keeping the opening asis or, in the alternative, the opening may be closed with a Velcro® typeclosure (i.e., hook and loop fastener) or any other closure means.Velcro® strips are provided with the pants and can be secured verticallynear or adjacent to the edge of the opening on each pant leg member.

[0011] When in the form of a zipper, the fastener member is positionedat a point above the bottom edge of one leg member and extends upwardlyand through the crotch area and downwardly along the second leg memberand ends at a point above the bottom edge of the second leg member.

[0012] An additional feature is the protective shield that extends alongthe full length of the fastener member. The protective shield is used toprevent any rubbing or friction by the fastener member against thewearer's skin. For ease of zippering, the protective shield is taperedin the crotch area of the pants.

[0013] The pants of the present invention may be constructed of any typeand weight of fabric. The fastener member is made of a heavyweightplastic or other durable material that can withstand wear. The type ofzipper and the manner in which the zipper is attached in the pants aredone so as to lessen the visibility of the zipper on the outside area ofthe pants. The outer appearance of uniform pants should not be changedand should appear professional looking. Thus, the type of zipper as wellas the placement of the zipper are important in the construction of thepants of the present invention.

[0014] In yet another embodiment of the present invention, a pair ofpants comprising: (a) a waistband; (b)two leg members extending from thewaistband; (c) a fastener member positioned along the inseam of the legmembers, wherein the fastener member is a zipper that begins at a pointabove the bottom edge of one leg member and extends upwardly and throughthe crotch area and then downwardly along the second leg member and endsat a point above the bottom edge of the second leg member; and (d) aprotective shield positioned beneath the fastener member. In oneembodiment, the fastener member is a zipper, which is either visible orinvisible when placed in the pants.

[0015] In yet another embodiment, a pair of pants using a visible orregular type zipper is disclosed. The pants comprise:(a) a waistband;(b) two leg members extending from the waistband; (c) a fastener memberpositioned along the inseam of the leg members; (d) a protective shieldpositioned beneath the fastener member; and (e) an outer flap positionedon top of the fastener member. The outer flap functions to conceal thefastener member from view. This outer flap is unnecessary when aninvisible type zipper is used as the fastener member in the pants of thepresent invention.

[0016] Although law enforcement officers are used as examples fordiscussion purposes only, the scope of the present invention is not tobe construed as being limited to just this profession. Rather, the pantsof the present invention may be suitable for any job which requiresworkers to carry on their bodies heavy equipment, weapons, and the like.Additionally, the pants of the present invention can also be worn bypersons with bladder control or other medical problems, when limitedmotion of the wearer is desired. The pants also permits easy access toinjuries that may occur from the waist down. Using the pants willprevent the injured person from being moved or moved only slightly.

[0017] These and other features, objects and advantages of the presentinvention will become better understood from a consideration of thefollowing detailed description of the preferred embodiments and appendedclaims in conjunction with the drawings described as follows:

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0018] While the specification concludes with claims particularlypointing out and distinctly claiming the subject matter which isregarded as forming the present invention, it is believed that theinvention will be better understood from the following description whichis taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.

[0019]FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a pair of pants of the presentinvention with the fastener member (invisible zipper) in the closedposition.

[0020]FIG. 2 is a back view of a pair of pants of the present invention.

[0021]FIG. 3 is a side view of a pair of pant of the present invention.

[0022]FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the pair of pants in FIG. 1 withthe fastener member (invisible zipper) in the open position

[0023]FIG. 5 is a fragmentary view of the bottom of one the pant legmembers in FIG. 1 in the open position.

[0024]FIG. 6 is an exploded view of the crotch area of the pants of thepresent invention, illustrating the tapering effect of the protectiveshield.

[0025]FIG. 7 is a perspective view of a pair of pants of the presentinvention with the fastener member (visible or regular type zipper) inthe closed position.

[0026]FIG. 8 is a perspective view of a pair of pants of the presentinvention with the fastener member (visible or regular type zipper) inthe open position.

[0027]FIG. 9 is a fragmentary view of the bottom of one the pant legmembers in FIG. 7 in the open position.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0028] Referring to FIGS. 1 through 9, the pants also known as E-ZOpener Pants™ are indicated generally at 10. The pants 10 comprise awaistband 12 and two leg members 14 and 16 extending downwardly from thewaistband 12. Each leg member 14, 16 of the pants 10 is formed by afront panel 18 and a rear panel 20. These panels suitably extend fromthe waistband 12 to the ankle end 22 of the leg members 14 and 16. Thepanels 18, 20 are jointed along outer edges at outseam 24, which extendsfrom the ankle end 22 upwardly to the waistband 12. The panels arejoined along the inner edges at inseam 26 by a fastener member 28. Thefastener member 28 extends along the inseam 26 of one leg member 14upwardly through the crotch area 30 and downwardly along the inseam 26of the other leg member 16. Further, the fastener member 28 begins at apoint above the ankle end 22 of leg member 14, which is approximately 2to about 4 inches, and ends at a point above the ankle end 22 of theother leg member 16 (roughly the same dimensions).

[0029] The pants 10 may include a front fastener member 32 and pockets34 formed within each leg member 14, 16. The pants 10 may furtherinclude a plurality of belt loops 36 spaced apart and along the lengthof the waistband 12. The belt loops 36 are typically used to secure abelt that may be used to carry heavy objects or equipment.

[0030] The pants 10 are designed in different lengths (i.e., ˜26inches-44 inches) to accommodate the different heights of the wearers.For this reason, the pants 10 are constructed with an unfinished hem andthe fastener member 28 does not extend to the ankle end 22 of the legmembers 14, 16 as indicated above. The construction of the fastenermember 28 leaves additional fabric which extends downwardly beyond thefastener member on each leg member 14, 16. The additional fabric createsan unfinished hem, which allows the wearer to make the necessary hemadjustments to the length of the pant leg members 14, 16 to suit thewearer's needs. The construction of the fastener member 28 also leavesan opening 36 approximately 2-4 inches long at the bottom edge of eachpant leg member 14, 16. The wearer has the option of maintaining theopening 36 or, in the alternative, the opening 36 may be closed with aVelcro® type closure (i.e., hook and loop fastener) or any other closuremeans. Velcro( strips 38 a and 38 b are provided with the pants and canbe secured vertically near or adjacent to the edge of the opening 36 oneach pant leg member 14, 16.

[0031] Fastener member 28 can be a zipper having separable halves 40 aand 40 b, each formed of a chain of teeth on a cloth, fabric strip, orribbon. One half 40 a is provided with a slide 42 including a handle foroperation of the slide. The slide 42 interlockingly engages the otherhalf 40 b, in a manner which allows the wearer to open the pants byunzipping the zipper positioned along the inner leg seam starting nearthe bottom of one leg member 14 and moving upward through the crotcharea 30 and downward along the other leg member to a point near thebottom of the other leg member 16. To close the pants 10, the zipper issimply moved in the opposite direction.

[0032] Laying directly beneath the fastener member 28 is a protectiveshield 44, which extends the full length of the fastener member 28. Theprotective shield 44 is made of fabric, and is designed to shield thefastener member 28, in particular zippers, from direct contact with thewearer, thereby avoiding any rubbing or friction motion to the skinarea. The width of the protective shield 44 varies between about 1 inchto about 2½ inches, but is always wide enough to completely cover thefastener member 28. The width of the protective shield 44 in the crotcharea 30 is tapered so that the wearer can avoid catching the protectiveshield 44 in the fastener member 28.

[0033] In one embodiment of the present invention, the zipper is aninvisible type zipper as referred to in the fabric industry, which meansthat the teeth of the zipper are directed inward on each pant leg member14, 16. Thus, the zipper is not visible to the eye when viewing theoutside of the pants 10. Essentially, only the inseam 26 is visible tothe eye as shown in FIG. 1. The invisible zipper is used so that theouter appearance of the pants 10 is unchanged and remains professionallooking. This is an important feature for uniform pants. Further, withthe invisible zipper, there is no need to have an outer flap 46 to coverthe fastening member 28 as shown in FIG. 7.

[0034] In an alternative embodiment of the present invention as shown inFIG. 7, a visible type zipper is used. Opposite of an invisible zipper,a zipper that is visible displays its teeth outwardly on each pant legmember 14, 16. With the construction of pants 10, the outer flap 46 isused to conceal the fastening member 28.

[0035] In another embodiment of the present invention, a waistband 12that comprises an elastic material is used so as to provide additionalroom in the waist area for the wearer. This is an optional feature ofthe pants 10.

[0036] With the design of pants 10 and in particular the placement andoperation of the fastener member 28, each of the leg members 14, 16 canbe opened in a quick and easy manner to allow the wearer greaterconvenience when using the restroom facilities. Even more importantly,the design of the pants 10 allows the upper area of the pants 10 toremain intact so that any equipment being carried can remain attached tothe wearer while the wearer uses the restroom. This feature addressesthe equipment safety issues frequently faced by female law enforcementofficers. Without this feature, the wearer would have to remove anyequipment or objects attached at the waistband 12 by way of a belt andplace it somewhere in the restroom stall or simply allow the equipmentto remain attached and then rest the equipment of the restroom floor.Either of these options presents safety problem for law enforcementofficers.

[0037] In another embodiment, a braid can be stitched along the outerseam of each pant leg, extending from the waistband 12 to the ankle end22 of the leg members 14, 16.

[0038] Although the description of the invention focuses on pants of thetype worn by law enforcement officers, it is contemplated within thescope of the present invention that the pants may also be worn byprivate security personnel, firefighters, electricians, cable workers,military personnel, hunters, construction workers, medical patients,fishermen, campers, hikers, injured persons, senior citizens and otherswho desire easier access, convenience and safety when attending to theirrestroom needs.

[0039] All references referred to herein are hereby incorporated byreference in their entirety.

[0040] It should be understood that various changes and modifications tothe presently preferred embodiments described herein will be apparent tothose skilled in the art. Such changes and modifications can be madewithout departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention andwithout diminishing its attendant advantages. It is therefore intendedthat such changes and modifications be covered by the appended claims.

I claim:
 1. A pair of pants comprising: (a) a waistband; (b) two legmembers extending from the waistband; (c) a fastener member positionedalong the inseam of the leg members; and (d) a protective shieldpositioned beneath the fastener member.
 2. The pants according to claim1, further including an opening created for each leg member and formedby the space between the bottom edge of the leg member and the point atwhich the fastener member ends.
 3. The pants according to claim 2,wherein the opening is closed with a hook and loop type fastener.
 4. Thepants according to claim 1, wherein the fastener member is selected fromthe group consisting of zippers, snaps, buttons, hooks, and hook andloop type fasteners.
 5. The pants according to claim 1, wherein thefastener member is an invisible type zipper.
 6. The pants according toclaim 5, wherein the zipper is positioned at a point above the bottomedge of one leg member and extends upwardly and through the crotch areaand downwardly along the second leg member and ends at a point above thebottom edge of the second leg member.
 7. The pants according to claim 1,wherein the protective shield extends along the full length of thefastener member.
 8. The pants according to claim 1, wherein theprotective shield is tapered in the crotch area of the pants.
 9. A pairof pants comprising: (a) a waistband; (b) two leg members extending fromthe waistband; (c) a fastener member positioned along the inseam of theleg members, wherein the fastener member is a zipper that begins at apoint above the bottom edge of one leg member and extends upwardly andthrough the crotch area and then downwardly along the second leg memberand ends at a point above the bottom edge of the second leg member; and(d) a protective shield positioned beneath the fastener member.
 10. Thepants according to claim 9, further including an opening created by eachleg member and formed by the space between the bottom edge of the legmember and the point at which the fastener member ends.
 11. The pantsaccording to claim 10, wherein the opening is closed with a hook andloop type fastener.
 12. The pants according to claim 9, wherein theprotective shield extends along the full length of the fastener member.13. The pants according to claim 9, wherein the protective shield istapered in the crotch area of the pants.
 14. A pair of pants comprising:(a) a waistband; (b) two leg members extending from the waistband; (c) afastener member positioned along the inseam of the leg members; (d) aprotective shield positioned beneath the fastener member; and (e) anouter flap positioned on top of the fastener member.
 15. The pantsaccording to claim 14, further including an opening created by each legmember and formed by the space between the bottom edge of the leg memberand the point at which the fastener member ends.
 16. The pants accordingto claim 15, wherein the opening is closed with a hook and loop typefastener.
 17. The pants according to claim 14, wherein the fastenermember is a regular, visible type zipper.
 18. The pants according toclaim 14, wherein the fastener member is positioned at a point above thebottom edge of one leg member and extends upwardly and through thecrotch area and downwardly along the second leg member and ends at apoint above the bottom edge of the second leg member.
 19. The pantsaccording to claim 14, wherein the protective shield extends along thefull length of the fastener member.
 20. The pants according to claim 14,wherein the protective shield is tapered in the crotch area of thepants.
 21. A pair of law enforcement uniform pants comprising: (a) awaistband; (b) two leg members extending from the waistband; (c) afastener member positioned along the inseam of the leg members; and (d)a protective shield positioned beneath the fastener member.
 22. A pairof law enforcement uniform pants comprising: (a) a waistband; (b) twoleg members extending from the waistband; (c) a fastener memberpositioned along the inseam of the leg members; (d) a protective shieldpositioned beneath the fastener member; and an (e) an outer flappositioned on top of the fastener member.